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Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Protect Your Children from Sexual Abuse


I was telling acquaintance that I was working on this video, “It makes me sad that we even have to have these conversations. I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to think about it."

She is right, it is sad.  I don’t want to think about it.  I spent a lot of years NOT thinking about it, but this a topic that GETS WORSE WHEN WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.

We must talk about it. When we talk about childhood sexual abuse:

1. Survivors begin to heal because they know that they’re not alone
2. We prevent it from happening to other children.

Please watch and share the video and Subscribe to my channel to help me get this important information our there! 


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Books to talk about sex with your kids

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Children's Sermons- Christmas and Advent


We have a family services on big holidays, this allows families to worship together, including all our volunteers.  We provide each child a clipboard with two coloring pages and a ziploc bag of crayons. There is also a short Children's Sermon, a time we invite children to the stage and make them feel a part of the service.

Below are two Children's Sermons, one for beginning of Advent and one for Christmas Morning!

Note for on Stage Children's Sermons: KEEP IT SHORT. Please don't be tempted to make this 10 minutes. For preschool and elementary, you have 3 to 5 minutes MAX undivided attention for quality learning. Three to five minutes will feel too short to you as an adult, but it is developmentally appropriate, trust me.


CHRISTMAS CHILDREN'S SERMON:Advent

Waiting is hard/ADVENT

MATERIALS NEEDED:

  • bowl of candy (sugar free candy like fruit snack or something to keep parents happy) 
  • OR a bowl of simple toys


Look at this big bowl of fruit snacks! Who likes fruit snacks? You can all have one BUT you have to wait until end of the story to have one.

Waiting is hard isn't it?!?!?!

What are things we have to wait for?

Take 2 to 3 responses. (Birthdays and Christmas, Lines, etc.)

We are starting Advent , can you say Advent with me? ADVENT. Isn't that a funny word?
That is a big fancy church word for...."Waiting for Christmas!"

Who likes Christmas? What do you like about Christmas?

Take 2 to 3 responses.

Christmas is when lots of good things happen, like presents and time with family. People in the Bible had to wait A LONG LONG LONG LOOOOOONG time for the first Christmas!!!! Hundreds of years!!!

They waited....and waited.... and waited for the Messiah. Can you say Messiah with me? MESSIAH. That is a big church word for a person who saves us! A Messiah saves people.

So they waited....and waited......and waited for the Messiah. That Messiah was born on first Christmas!

Who was born on the first Christmas?

(JESUS!) Let them answer loudly.

Waiting for Jesus was HARD, even harder than your wait for Christmas, or your wait for this toy/candy.

But all that waiting led to something great!
We have to wait for a few more weeks for Christmas, and that is hard, but there will be great things when we get there!

Thank you for waiting. Waiting is hard, but it is good!!!

You can come pick a a pack of fruit snacks then go sit with your parents!

CHRISTMAS CHILDREN'S SERMON: Christmas

Materials Needed:
 • White gift box filled with fruit snacks
 • Black ribbon
 • Red ribbon
 • White ribbon
 • Gold ribbon


 Whose birthday is on Christmas?

JESUS!

We get presents on our birthday, and the cool thing about Jesus' birthday is that YOU get presents for HIS birthday. His birthday is so special because Jesus was God's Son! Do you get presents on your birthday?

Allow for response.

 A lot of gifts have pretty ribbons. I have some pretty ribbons here. I am going to tell you a story using only ribbons

 BLACK RIBBON
Here is some black ribbon. What are some things that are the color black? 

Allow responses.

 Something that is also black is darkness. Have you ever been a room when the lights are turned off.

 Cover your eyes!

Wait for them cover their eyes.

No peeking! You can't see anything! Black darkness makes it so that we can't see anything!

 That is why we will have the black ribbon for sin, because sin makes us not be able to see God. Sin are choices that hurt or other people. Sin makes it so that we can't see God.

Sin covers our eyes with darkness and we can't see all the good that God wants for us, or the good choices God wants us to make. 

RED RIBBON
Now let's go to the red ribbon. What are things that are red?

 Allow responses.

 Have you ever seen a red picture of a heart? Did you know we have a red heart in our bodies? Do you know where your heart is?

Put your hand over it and make a heart.

 Our hearts are red, and our hearts push all the blood in our bodies to keep us healthy. Put your hand over your heart and pretend to beat it and push all the blood around your bodies.

 Baboom baboom

 The reason I have a red ribbon is when Jesus grew up be a man, his red blood saved us! How did he do that? He died on a cross where his blood was shed. His saving blood.

WHITE RIBBON
That red ribbon leads to the next ribbon. What are things that are white?

 Allow responses

Snow is white! Ever see snow before ANYONE TOUCHES IT? It is so clean and white and BRIGHT! Have you ever seen bright light on a fresh snow?

White is bright and light! It helps us see!! Jesus is called the Light of the world!

We can see Him here on Earth because his blood washed away that black dark sin covering our sins. We can see God when we know Jesus died for our sins! His red blood helps us see! We see what God wants for us and the choices He wants us to make.

Cover your eyes like the dark black ribbons.

Now pump your heart for the red blood of Jesus.

Now take your hands off your eyes to see the light of Jesus!

GOLD RIBBON
My last ribbon is a gold ribbon. Gold is shiny and costs a lot of money! Gold is super fancy!

Has anyone walked on a gold sidewalk before?

The Bible says that the sidewalks and streets in Heaven are paved with Gold!

When we believe that Jesus' blood saves and uncover the blackness from our eyes, then when when we die we will get see God in Heaven too, and walk on streets of gold!

 You are all going to get Christmas presents this week. If you see a Black, RedWhiteor Gold Ribbon, make sure to tell your family what it means!

 Now that I've taken off all my ribbon, let's look inside for our present!

Open present with Fruit Snacks inside

 Everyone can take a fruit snack and go back to sit with your family.




Friday, November 15, 2019

You are not the perfect mother for your kids



I am about to make a lot of people mad.

I can't stand the "God made you the perfect Mommy for your kids, so stop guilting yourself" mentality.

Let me start off saying that I get this is a reaction to the world of MOMMY GUILT (which I also hate). If you are drowning in Mommy guilt, please don't let that paralyze you, but there is a difference between condemnation and conviction.

Condemnation is shame and should be rejected. Condemnation is "mommy wars" of who is better at breast feeding, or how to sleep train. It leads to paralyzing shame and unnecessary hurt. Condemnation is the voice of the world saying you are NEVER going to be good enough. Condemnation is comparison that drains your soul. It is nit-picky and seeks to make you feel wrong; your clothes are not right, your kids are too loud/too quiet, your school choice is wrong.

Conviction on the other hand is a gift, inviting you to do better. Conviction isn't necessarily pleasant, yet somehow fills and feeds your soul. What a beauty to be given the opportunity to repent and do better for your kids. Conviction is inspiring.

Conviction needs to be embraced, not thrown out with shame of condemnation.
Do you feel convicted about your yelling, or your day drinking? Do you feel convicted about your language around your children. Do you need to seek counseling for mental health that is hindering your parenting? Do you feel convicted about your attitude with the father of your children? Embrace it! Do better for your kids. There is help! 

I was raised by a mother with a personality disorder (BPD). She did not embrace conviction.

When a child of an abusive mother hears, "God gives every child the perfect mommy for their needs", it hurts. We ask ourselves, does that mean I deserved what I got in my mom? Did I need the screaming and belittling? Did I need the unpredictable rage alternating with manic moods that could be fun & productive or very scary, depending on the day. Did I need to be in an environment of trying to always be the good girl so that I could make her feel loved? Did I need to never get unconditional love from the person designed to give it to me?

She felt conviction, I assure you, but pushed it away as "people judging her". She would project the conviction onto me, saying I never loved her enough as a mother, meaning she expected unconditional acceptance just because she was my mother.

If you want to get into the theology of it, I do believe that God worked it all for His Glory to become the woman I am today. I was in a house that would make me have to FIGHT for healing. I was given the opportunity to see a marriage of constant strife so that I could deeply appreciate, to my bones, the servant leadership of a GOOD AND GODLY husband.

BUT that doesn't mean she was the "perfect mother for me" and didn't need to grow. Who knows what would have happened if she had embraced conviction, and tried to change. What glory that would have brought to God, and healing in my heart if she has tried to discern condemnation from conviction. Maybe I wouldn't have been almost 30, with two kids, before I truly TRUSTED unconditional love (my poor husband had a lot of years with a deeply insecure woman). Some of the scars she inflicted on my heart may be there until I go home to Heaven. I fight every day to be the mother I want to be.

The next time you see "stop feeling guilty because God made you the perfect mom for your kids", stop and think, is the guilt condemnation or conviction?

You have the POTENTIAL to be exactly who your kids need to be, but no one has arrived.

Are you drowning condemnation of mommy guilt world? REJECT IT.

Is it the conviction that leads to a new and better life? EMBRACE IT. Seek healing, seek a counselor, seek repentance.

You are not the perfect mom for your kid, but you do have the perfect God.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Learning Cursive with Proverbs

Learning Cursive with Proverbs

Bible Based Cursive Workbook


You asked and we listened!

 After publishing Learning Cursive with Narnia and Learning Cursive with The Hobbit, I had several people ask for a Bible Based Cursive Workbook. Prayer and discussion led us to the choosing the book of Proverbs as an appropriate copy work. We chose proverbs we felt children could understand on their level, and apply to their own lives.

The translation we chose  for the quote copywork (Part Three of the workbook) is 
New International Reader's Version (NIrV) Early Reader's Bible because it written on a third grade reading level, making it a perfect fit since many children begin cursive in third grade. 


Proverbs Cursive workbook is designed to give meaningful handwriting practice for elementary and middle school students. It can be used as a first introduction to cursive or penmanship practice for older students!

Includes:
  • Cursive Alphabet Reference Chart
  • upper and lower case practice
  •  Proverb related word practice
  • Proverb quotes for copywork from NIrV (New International Reader's Version).
Skills learned:
  • letter formation
  • letter placement
  • linking letters
  • word spacing



LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK

Part One: Letter Practice
Part Two: Word Practice
Meaningful word practice from Proverbs